Cut-off machine



Filed March 9, 1956 2 Shets-Sheet 1 m 120/,0/7 19. Gardner A, Wu, ul %-4 7444-wl Cfiwoxggays CUT-OFF MACHINE Filed March 9, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 W flaw/i Q Gardner a7 fade, M. p

Patented Feb. 8, 193a NITED STATES PATENT OFFlCE arouses cur-ore MACHINE a corporation of illinois Application March 9, 1936, Serial No. 67,762

13 @laims. (81. 51-98) My invention relates to cut-ofl machines, and more particularly to an improved arrangement of the parts thereof which is especially adapted for use in cut-ofi machines of the abrasive type; that is, those utilizing abrasive disks as the cutter or cutting tool, although certain aspects of my invention are applicable to other types of cut-on machines.

It is an object of my invention to provide a cut-off machine having a work support including a fixed jaw and a movable jaw, and an arrangement for adjusting the relative positions of the work support and the cutter of the machine in such manner that the line of action of the pressure applied to the work piece by the cutter will pass through the fixed jaw rather than the movable jaw, thus providing a rigid support for the work piece without applying excessive clamping pressure thereto which might otherwise distort the work piece.

Another object of my invention is to provide a cut-0d machine including a power driven rotary cutter and an improved arrangement for swiveling the cutter about a vertical axis as well as for swinging the same about a horizontal pivotal axis so that a fixed work piece may be cut at any angle desired.

Another object of my invention is to provide a cut-oii machine of the abrasive type including an improved arrangement for mounting the cutter and the work piece with respect to each other 'so that a portion of the work piece of minimum area may be readily presented to the cutter, thus minimizing the heating of the cutter and insuring a clean, sharp cut in the work piece.

A further object of my invention is to provide an improved cut-oil machine or the abrasive type which requires a minimum number ofparts, is economical to manufacture and which is efiective and eidcient in operation.

Further objects and advantages of my inventicn will become apparent as the following description proceeds, and the features of novelty which characterize my invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this specification.

For a better understanding of my invention,

' reference may be had to the accompanying drawings, in which,

' Figure l is a side elevation partly in section of a cut-off machine embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a fragmentary side elevation partly in section of a portion of the cut-ofi machine shown inFig. 1, and'illustrates the movement of the cutter disk with relation to the work piece.

Fig. 3 is a plan view partly in section of the cut-off machine shown in Fig. i.

Fig. 4 is a partial planview of the cut-oil machine shown in Fig. i, and illustrates the swiveling adjustment of the cutter disk with respect to the work support.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail view partly in section of a portion of the cutter disk guard and of the water connection for supplying cooling water to the cutter disk.

Referring to the drawings, I have shown in Fig. l a cut-cit machine of the abrasive type embodying my invention and including as its principal elements a work support it and a rotary cutting disk or cutter H which are relatively movable with respect to each other. This machine is particularly useful for cutting off portions of strips of light metal molding or the like having an irregular cross-section, although it may be effectively used to cut ofi many other types of material. In cutting any type of material with an abrasive type cutter, it is very desirable that the work piece be arranged with respect to the cutter in such manner that a portion of minimum area is presented thereto sincethe heating of the abrasive cutter increases rapidly as the area of the material being cut is increased. Such a heating of the abrasive cutter disk is undesirable since the work piece is also heated and a sharp burr is formed at the edge of the out which must be subsequently removed by hand, and the surface of the cut is in general rough and somewhat irregular. In my improved cut-01'1" machine I have provided an arrangement which obviates this diificulty in that the work support may be adjusted with respect to the line of movement of the cutter disk in such manner that a portion of the work piece or" minimum area is presented to the cutter disk.

Difiiculty may also be encountered in cutting light metal moldings or similar materials with any type. of cutter disk and particularly with abrasive type cutter disks, because the work piece is likely to be distorted upon the application of a strong clamping pressure thereto. in general, I have obviated this diiiiculty by providing a work supporting arrangement including a fixed jaw and a movable jaw and an adjustable mounting therefor of such character that the line of action of the pressure applied to the work piece passes through the fixed jaw rather than the movable jaw. As a consequence, the clamping pressure required is minimized and work pieces of light metal may be readily out without distortion due to excessive clamping pressure.

In the particular machine illustrated in the drawings the cutter ii is a relatively thin disk I made of particles of abrasive such as aluminum oxide, silicon carbide. or diamond dust bonded together by rubber, a resinous compound, or some similar material. I prefer to use an abrasive cutter disk made of aluminum oxide bonded together with rubber for cutting steel or nonferrous metals. The cutter disk II is provided with a hub [9 which is rigidly clamped to the end of a rotatable shaft i2 by lock nut l4. The shaft i2 is journaled in ball bearings 15 and i8 arranged adjacent the opposite ends thereof. The outer races of'the ball bearings l5 and i8 are fitted in counter bores formed in opposite ends of a sleeve i1 and are held in position therein by locking collars i8 and i9, respectively, which are threaded in the outer ends of the sleeve l1. The sleeve I1 is an integral part of the upper end of an inclined bracket 20, which forms a swinging support for the cutter disk. A suitable electric driving motor 2i is also mounted on the bracket 28 adjacent the opposite end thereof, being secured thereto by mounting bolts 22. The cutter disk ii is driven by the electric driving motor 21 through a flexible belt 23 which passes over a driving pulley 24 secured to the motor shaft and a driven pulley 25 secured to one end of the shaft i2. A sheet metal guard 28 is preferably positioned over the belt 23.

The bracket 28 is pivotally ,supported in such manner that the cutter disk I I may be swung into and out of engagement with a'work piece held in the work support 18. This pivotal movement of the cutter disk Ii is preferably abcut a horizontal axis located below the work support l9 in Jorder that the path of movement of the center of the cutter disk ii, indicated by the dot-dash line 21 in Figs. 1 and 2, and which also repre sents the line of action of the pressure applied to the work piece, will pass through a fixed jaw 28 of the work support l0 rather than the movable jaw 29 thereof. It is also preferable that the path of movement 21 lie adjacent the line of intersection of the planes of the vertical and horizontal supporting surfaces 38 and 3i, respectively, of the fixed jaw 28 since the cutter disk Ii thus presses the work piece firmly against the two intersecting faces of the fixed jaw of the work support so that the work piece is rigidly supported thereon without the necessity of applying excessive clamping pressure thereto. In the particular construction illustrated, the bracket 20 is provided with depending projections 32 which are pivotally supported on trunnion pins 33. The trunnion pins 33 are releasably clamped in jaws 34 by locking screws 35. The jaws 34 are formed on the upper ends of arms 38 of a supporting frame designated generally by the numeral 31.

The supporting frame 31 is arranged to be releasably clamped in various positions about the work support I0 in order that the cutter disk ii may be swiveled about the work piece so as to make angular cuts therein. Thus, the supporting frame I!) is provided with curved arms 38 which embrace the vertical cylindrical machine base 39 and rest on a shoulder 49 formed thereon. The ends of the curved arms 38 are releasably secured together by a clamping screw 4| so that they may be clamped tightly about the base 39 in order to hold the cutter disk ii in any desired angular position upon tightening the clamping screw 4i. The angular adjustment of the cutter disk H with respect to the work piece is indicated by an index pointer 42 secured to the supporting frame 31 and cooperating with an index scale 43 secured to the upper edge of a bowl 44 held in position on the top of the base 39 by a series of screws 45. The bowl 44 is adapted to contain a quantity of water for quenching any sparks thrown off by the cutter disk ii on its engagement with a metal work piece and also collects cooling water supplied to the cutter disk 'i i and thrown off the periphery thereof.

The construction of the particular clamping device illustrated as a part of the work support III forms no part of my present invention but is described and claimed in my copending application. Serial No. 67,761, filed March 9, 1936. As'

was noted above, this clamping device includes a fixed jaw 28 and a pair of movable jaws 29 which are secured to pins 48 slidably mounted in holes 41 formed in the fixed jaw 29. The fixed-jaw 28 is provided with a centrally located slot 28a therein which permits the cutter disk ii to pass through awork piece without cutting the clamping device. The movable jaws 29 are moved into and out of clamping engagement with.

the work piece by a toggle mechanism which includes a pair of links 48 pivotally ,connected at .their inner endsto the pins 48 and pivotally connected at their outer ends to a cross member 49. A threaded rod 59 passes through a tapmd hole extending through the member 49 and is pivotally connected at its lower end to a plug 5i which isslidably mounted in a recess formed in the rear side ofthe fixed jaw 28. Thus, when the rod 50 is moved downwardly by the operatin'g handle 52,-the links 49 pulls the supporting face 55 which rests on a complementary arcuate surface 58 'of a supporting bracket 51. The clamping device may be tilted about a horizontal axis intov any desired angular relation with respect to the cutter disk i i .by relative movement between the supporting member 54 and bracket 51. When the particular angular adjustment desired has been attained, the supporting member 54 may then be securely clamped to the bracket 51 by a clamping bolt 58 which extends through a slot 59 formed in the upper surface 58 of the supporting bracket 51.

I have also provided an arrangement for moving the clamping device l9 transversely with respect to the cutter disk in order to facilitate making angular cuts in the work piece. The

supporting bracket 51 is slidably mounted on a bracket 51 and is threaded in a tapped hole formed in the bottom of the bowl 44.

In-order to avoid excess heating of the abrasive cutter disk ii, it is desirable to supply a cooling liquid thereto such as water or a mixture of water and soluble oil or soda. I have provided The clamping device is an arrangement for supplying a liquid coolant to the cutter disk and also forming a guard therefor which not only prevents the coolant being thrown off from the wheel but also protects the operator against injury due to breakage of the wheel. It is particularly necessary to provide a strong rugged guard construction for abrasive disk cutters of the type .described since they rotate at comparatively high speeds. In the particular construction illustrated, an integral cup shaped guard member 58 is formed on the end of the sleeve ii and surrounds the inner side and edges oi the cutter disk ii. A segmental opening is formed in this guard member adjacent the work support ill. A removable cover plate 57 is seurcd to the guard member 36 by wing nuts and i: 68. The plate i is also provided with a :mental aperture 88 therein adjacent the work port iii.

As best shown in Fig. 5. an arrangement is prosided for securing the plate 5? to the guard mem- 36 and for supplying liquid coolant to the cutter disk ii. This arrangement includes a V ccr iii interposed between the cover plate at guard member '83 adjacent the segmental openings therein. The spacer id is provided with a threaded extension or boss '5? which passes through a registering hole '52 formed in the guard member t5 and a nut 23 holds the same in position. The spacer it is also provided with a second extension or boss it on the opposite end thereof which extends through a hole formed in the cover plate 57 and a nut i6 is threaded on the boss i i to hold the same firmly in position. A bore ll extends through the boss i i and into the interior of the spacer 78 where it communicates with a lateral bore 13 opening into the interior of the guard structure adjacent the cutier disk ii. Water or other coolant may thus be supplied to the cutter disk 1 i from a flexible hose 79 throu h the bores "ii and i8, the hose lb being secured to the boss i l by a clamp 89.

I have also provided an arrangement for counter balancing the weight of the motor 2i which otherwise tends to swing the bracket 20 in a clockwise direction about the trunnion pins 33, as viewed in Fig. 1. This arrangement includes a depending member 84 formed on the lower side of the bracket 28 and having a yoke 82 formed on the lower end thereof. The yoke 532 extends about the sides of a cylindrical metal cup 83 and is pivotall secured thereto by bolts 85. The cup 83 is slid ably mounted on a rod 85, the inner end of which is secured to the supporting frame 3i. A pair of lock nuts 3% are threaded on the rod 85 and a helical compression spring 38 surrounding the rod 85 is interposed between the lock nuts 86 and the inner end of the cup 83. It will thus be seen that the compression of the spring 86 limits the clockwise movement of the bracket 29 and counter balances the otherwise unbalanced weight of the electric motor 2! thereon. In addition, a stop 88 is secured to the supporting frame 3? to positively limit the extent of clockwise pivotal movement of the bracket 28. Also, a collar 89 is secured to the outer portion of the rod 85 by a set screw all in order to form a stop engaged by the end of the cup 83 and limiting the counter clockwise movement of the bracket 23. The position of the collar 89 on the rod 85 may be adjusted in order to prevent the cutter disk l i from entering the slot 28a in the fixed jaw 28 of the clamping device a suificient distance to cut the same. The adjustable stop collar, 89 may also be used to limit to a predetermined amount the depth of the cut to be made in a work piece, if so desired.

In the operation of the machine described above, a work piece such as the strip of metal 53 indicated in Fig. 2 is placed in the work support it? between the fixed jaw 28 and movable jaws 29. The handle 52 of the clamping device is then moved downwardly, thus straightening out the toggle links 38 and 50 so that the work piece 53 is firmly clamped between the cooperating jaws 28 and 29. The clamping bolt 58 is then loosened and the supporting member 5% is tilted with respect to the supporting bracket El until a portion of the work piece 53 having a minimum area is presented to the cutter disk II. In the case of the Work piece illustrated, the edge thereof has a smaller area than the sides and consequently, it is mounted edgewise in the clamping device. Then when this portion of the work piece has been arranged substantially in alignment with the center of the path of movement of the cutter disk ll, as indicated by the dot-dash line 2? in Figs. 1 and 2, the clamping bolt 58 is tightened, thus holding the supporting member 56 rigidly in its adjusted position. The electric driving motor is then started and cutter disk i l is swung downwardly about its pivotal axis into engagement with the work piece. A handle 9? is secured to the guard member 88 to facilitate movement of the cutter disk into and out of engagement with the work piece.

If it is desired to make an angular cut in the work piece, the work support bracket 5? is slid along guideway 69 and then clamped in its extreme position of movement by the screw 63, 1

this being the position illustrated in Fig. 4. The supporting membel is tilted with respect to the bracket 5'! as described above in order that a portion of the work piece of minimum area will be presented to the cutter disk H. The clamping bolt i! is then loosened and the supporting frame 3? is swiveled about the base 39 until the cutter disk ii is brought into a desired angular relation with respect to the work piece. The

angular position may be accurately determined by the pointer 32 and index scale 33. The cutter disk ii is shown in Fig. l as being arranged at substantially 45 degrees with respect to the work support. After having clamped the work piece in the clamping device. the motor 23 is then started and the cutter disk is moved into ongagement with the work as described above.

It will thus be seen that the improved cut-off machine which I have provided has a work supporting arrangement of great flexibility by means of which cuts may be made in a work piece at a great variety of angles while, at the same time, the cutter disk is used in its most effective manner. Also, since the cutter disk may be swiveled about the work piece, the area of floor space required for the machine is minimized. That is, if long strips of material are being cut, room need not be provided for maneuvering them as would be the case if the work support iii were swiveled rather than the cutter disk. This is of particular importance in factory installations of various sorts. The work supporting arrangement which I have provided is not only extremely flexiblc but it cooperates with the cutter disk support in such manner that the line of action of the pressure applied to the work piece by the cutter disk always passes through the fixed jaw of the clamping mechanism. thus providing a firm support for the work piece.

Although I have illustrated and described a particular embodiment of my invention, I do not desire my invention to be limited to the particular construction shown and described and I intend in the appended claims to cover all modifications within the spirit and scope of my invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. A cut-off machine comprising, in combination, work supporting means including a fixed jaw and a movable jaw for holding a work piece, adjustable means for tilting said work supporting means about a horizontal axis, a rotatably mounted cutter disk, means for pivotally supporting said cutter disk to swing about a horizontal axis 10- cated'below said work supporting means into and out of engagement with, the work piece, the center of said cutter disk having a path of movement about said last named axis passing through said fixed jaw.

2. A cut-ofi machine comprising, in combination, work supporting means including a fixed jaw and a movable jaw for holding a work piece, said fixed jaw being provided with flat work supporting surfaces arranged substantially at a right angle with respect to each other, adjustable means for tilting said work supporting means about a horizontal axis, means for clamping said work supporting means in its adjusted position, a rotatably mounted cutter disk, means for pivotally supporting said cutter disk to swing about a horizontal axis located below said work supporting means into and out of engagement with the work piece, the center of said cutter disk having a path of movement about said axis passing through said fixed jaw and lying adjacent the line of intersection of the planes of said work supporting surfaces of said fixed jaw.

3. A cut-ofi machine comprising, in combination, work supporting means for holding a work piece, a rotatably mounted cutter disk, cutter supporting means for pivotally supporting said cutter disk to swing about a horizontal axis into and out of engagement with the work piece, and means for swiveling said cutter disk and cutter supporting means in a horizontal plane about said work supporting means.

4. A cut-off machine comprising, in combination, work supporting means for holding a work piece. a rotatably mounted cutter disk, cutter supporting means for pivotally supporting said cutter disk to swing about a horizontal axis into and out of engagement with the work piece, and adjusting means for swiveling said cutter disk and cutter supporting means in a horizontal plane about said work-supporting means, and means for clamping said cutter supporting means in its adjusted position.

5.,A cut-ofi machine comprising, in combination, a vertical cylindrical base, work supporting means mounted on said base for holding a work piece, a cutter disk positioned in a substantially vertical plane, means including a bracket for rotatably supporting said cutter disk about said work supporting means, an electric driving motor operatively connected to said cutter disk and mounted on said bracket, a supporting frame provided with curved arms embracing said cylindrical base, means for adjustably clamping said arms about said base for swiveling said supporting frame about said base, and pivotal means for pivotally connecting said bracket andsaid supporting frame, said bracket being movable about said pivotal means to swing said cutter disk about a horizontal axis into and out of engagement with the work piece.

6. A cut-off machine comprising, in combination, a vertical cylindrical base, work supporting means mounted on said base for holding a work piece, a supporting frame provided with curved arms embracing said cylindrical base, means for adjustably clamping said arms about said base for swiveling of said supporting frame about said base, an inclined bracket, means for pivotally connecting said supporting frame and said bracket, a cutter disk, -means for rotatably supporting said cutter disk on said bracket acfiacent the upper end thereof, an electric driving motor operatively connected to said cutter disk, means for mounting said motor on said bracket adjacent the lower end thereof, the weight of said motor tending to swing said pivotal supporting bracket outwardly away from said base, and counterbalancing means for resisting such outward movement of said bracket.

'1. A cut-off machine of the abrasive type'comprising, in combination, cooperating jaws for holding a work piece, a rotatably mounted abrasive cutter disk, means for pivotally supporting said cutter disk to swing about a horizontal axis into and out of engagement with the work piece, adjustable means for tilting said cooperating jaws about a horizontal axis to present a portion of the work piece of minimum area to said abrasive cutter disk, and means for clamping said cooperating jaws in their adjusted position, thereby minimizing the heating of the abrasive cutter disk and insuring a clean sharp cut in the work piece.

8. A cut-off machine of the abrasive type comprising, in combination, cooperating jaws for holding a work piece, a supporting bracket having an arcuate upper surface, a mounting member for said cooperating jaws having a complementary arcuate lower surface resting on said arcuate surface of said mounting bracket, said mountin member being tiltable on said bracket about a horizontal axis, means for releasably clamping said mounting member on said bracket, a rotatably mounted abrasive cutter disk, and means for pivotally supporting said cutter disk to swing about a horizontal axis into and out of engagement with the work piece, whereby said jaws may be shifted to present a portion of minimum area of a work piece heldthereby to said cutter disk.

9. A cut-off machine of the abrasive type comprising, in combination, cooperating jaws for holding a work piece, a rotatably mounted abrasive cutter disk, means for pivotally supporting said cutter disk to swing about a horizontal axis into and out of engagement with the work piece, adjustable means for tilting said cooperating jaws about a horizontal axis to present a portion of the work piece of minimum area to said abrasive cutter disk, and means for swiveling said abrasive cutter disk and said cutter supporting means in a horizontal plane about said work supporting means.

10. A cut-off machine of the abrasive type comprising, in combination, cooperating jaws for holding a work piece, a rotatably mounted abrasive cutter disk, means for pivotally supporting said cutter disk to swing about a horizontal axis into and out of engagement with the Work piece, means for swiveling said abrasive cutter disk and said cutter supporting means in a horizontal plane about said work supporting means, adjust.- able means for tilting said cooperating jaws about a horizontal axis to present a portion of the workpiece of minimum area to said abrasive cutter disk, and means for slidably supporting said cooperating jaws for horizontal movement with respect to said abrasive cutter disk.

11. A cut-off machine of the abrasive type comprising, in combination, cooperating jaws for holding a work piece, a supporting bracket having an arcuate upper surface,-a mounting member for said cooperating jaws having a complementary arcuate lower surface resting on said arcuate surface of said mounting bracket, said mounting member being tiltable on said bracket about, a horizontal axis, means for releasably clamping said mounting member on said bracket, means including a horizontal guideway for slidably supporting said supporting bracket, means for releasably clamping said supporting bracket on'said guideway, a rotatably mounted abrasive cutter disk, means for pivotally supporting said cutter disk to swing about a horizontal axis into and out of engagement with the work piece, and means for swiveling said abrasive cutter disk and said cutter supporting means in a horizontal plane about said work supporting means.

' 12. A cut-oil machine of the abrasive type comprising, in combination, a vertical cylindrical base, cooperating jaws for holding a work piece, a supporting bracket mounted on said base and having an arcuate upper surface, a mounting member for said cooperating jaws having a complementary arcuate lower surface resting on said arcuate surface of said mounting bracket, said mounting member being tiltable on said bracket about a horizontal axis, means for releasably clamping said mounting member on said bracket, a supporting frame provided with curved arms embracing said cylindrical base, means for adjustably clamping said arms about said base for swiveling said supporting frame about said base, an inclined bracket, means pivotally connecting said supporting frame and said bracket, an abrasive cu ter disk, means for rotatably supporting said cutter disk on. said bracket adjacent the upper end thereof, an electric driving motor operatively connected to said cutter disk, means for mounting said motor on said bracket adjacent the lower end thereof, the weight of said motor tending to swing said pivotally supported bracket outwardly away from said base, and counterbalancing means for resisting such outward movement of said bracket.

13. A cut-0E machine of the abrasive type comprising, in combination, a vertical cylindrical base, cooperating jaws for holding a work piece, a supporting bracket having an arcuate upper surface, a mounting member for said cooperating jaws having a complementary arcuate lower surface resting on said arcuate surface of said mounting bracket, said mounting member being tiltable on said bracket about a horizontal axis,

means for releasably clamping said mounting member on said bracket, means including a horizontal guideway for slidably supporting said supporting bracket on said base, means for releasably clamping said supporting bracket on said guideway, a supporting frame provided with curved arms embracing said cylindrical base, means for adjustably clamping said arms about said base for swiveling said supporting frame about said base, an inclined bracket, means for pivotally connecting said supporting frame and said bracket, an abrasive cutter disk, means for rotatably supporting said cutter disk in said bracket adjacent the upper end thereof, an electric driving motor operatively connected to said cutter disk, means for mounting said motor on said bracket adjacent the lower end thereof, the weight of said motor tending to swing said pivotally supported bracket outwardly away from said base, and counterbalancing means for resisting such outward movement of said bracket.

RALPH D. GARDNER. 

